PRORODEO Sports News February Digital Edition

the wheel.

“He never really listened to the radio, but he might have it up just enough for a little background noise,” Ned LeDoux recalled. “I remem ber the song came on, and it men tioned something about rodeo, so he went to turn it up a little bit. Then it said, ‘worn out tape of Chris LeDoux.’ And he kind of jerk ed the wheel. “I was like, ‘What did that guy just say?’ His career was already building quite well, but I give a big thanks to Garth

for letting the rest of the world know. It was a great relationship, and I think it benefited them both. The rodeo and ranch fans and fans of dad were

LeDoux was awarded two gold and one platinum album certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America. PRCA File photo

introduced to Garth, and millions of fans that Garth had were introduced to dad.” LeDoux’s longtime guitarist and tour manager, Mark Sissel, joined the band around the same time the song came out. He acknowledged that the song brought LeDoux’s music to new audiences, but his superpower was authenticity. He sang about rodeo as a PRCA World Champion bareback rider. He wrote about days on the ranch after spending hours there. He sang about life on the road because he’d lived it. “Chris LeDoux was the guy. He was ours,” Sissel said. “He was telling stories about a lifestyle. People connected with that because he was the real deal. It wasn’t a guy with a hat singing cool stories about ro deo. He had a buckle. He was the man. He went down the road and did that.” LeDoux died on March 9, 2005, at the Casper Med ical Center after a battle with bile duct cancer. But his songs and the memories of his 1976 PRCA World Championship are alive and well.

LeDoux recorded 36 albums as a singer-songwriter, including 22 self-recorded albums before he signed his first record deal. PRCA File photo

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